How to Find Your Starting Point in a Drawing - Painting & Drawing Tips

As an artist you are attracted to many things: light falling on a rose; an eagle soaring in the sky; the profile of a young child. You know what you want to draw but how to get started is a big problem.

Many books and tutorials say, start with a basic shape. I certainly can see that with a child's face. An oval would be a good starting point. But sometimes I find the shape does not work for me. I like to have something that will give me Reference Points to move out from. The large oval or rectangle gives me the size but no help in locating key elements within the subject.

A 'Line of Action' gives me more information.

Poppies are so much fun to draw, I love their flowing lines

When you study the poppy on the right, you can see some very strong lines that define the shape. For me the strongest line with lots of information is the line of the petal coming forward.

This line gives a sense of size and shape. It acts as a reference point to other important lines.

Once this first strong line is placed on your paper you now have a point of comparison. All other lines will be longer or shorter than this one. It also gives you a reference for the the angles of the other lines.

The 2 secondary lines

Drawing in the two secondary lines defines the whole structure of the flower. Each element builds from them. By comparing the length and angle of line you draw to your structural lines, you can complete the drawing of each petal.

Hard to believe this is the SKELETON of the poppy!

Once you are happy with the length and angles of your 3 lines you are ready to roll.

Drawing the first petal

Drawing that first petal gives the structural lines meaning. Once the petal is in place, it is possible to place the stem. (I have included the other flower in the reference picture so you can also add the little flower pod leaves. Those little things give your drawing character.)

As each petal is drawn it gives you a reference point for the next one

After the first petal is drawn, you can now see where the one to the right fits in. Move around the flower drawing each as you go. Hint: I found it better to draw the area on the left side before drawing the area at the back. Once your layout is finished, you can go back and refine areas and add your shadows and directional lines. You can see my finished line drawing here.
Using Strong Lines is not the only way to start a drawing but it is a GREAT Tool to keep in your Bag of Tricks. Here is another example:

This strong line gives the shape, the size of the flower and a reference point for placement of the two main petals.

If you would like to have a larger file of these reference pictures to draw with, drop me a line and I will be happy to send them along.

Do you have another way of starting a drawing? Do you see other strong lines to work with? Lines and shapes attract us in different ways, there is no one right way to see. I would love to know what you 'see' when you draw these flowers.DRAW this POPPY LIVE - Saturday, Oct 21, 2017 Opus Arts Supplies, Langley, BC. Registration Information Here 2 Hands-On Drawing Sessions 11am and 2pm.

I will be drawing this Poppy for the demo. As you draw with me the focus will be on relationships within a drawing and lines and edges to bring your poppy to life. Throughout the process you will learn how to fine tune your observation skills so that you will begin to see more structural and spatial relationships in your subject. This improves your overall drawing skills.

Register early as these Demos will fill up fast.
$15 Includes a small Starter Kit

Looking to meet and see works by local artists? Wild abstracts to take you into new places, a crow pensively perched on a log, or mist slowly raising off the water, this is the show for you.
My picture: Crow: The Giver of Light, will be part of the show
To learn more about Artswest see here

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Meet Wendy

Canadian Drawing Master, Drawing Society of Canada.
Wildlife Artist.
I love to draw in pencil, ink and watercolour. My passion is “bringing nature to life”. Pet portraits are my specialty. For Sales or Commissions contact me, I would enjoy working with you. Thanks for stopping by.